Lineage of Spice and Wolf Vol 1 - Wolf and New Journey
by AJLKS
Summary: Set after the light novels. The age of beasts and deities are long gone, but some still live, disguised in human form. 60 years had passed since Diva's gold coins were minted in Sovereign; 55 years since the hot-springs inn 'Spice & Wolf' opened in Nyohhira. In the wake of a new era comes a new journey, taken by the progeny of the Wisewolf and the olive-skinned companion she meets.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The year is 60 AD. The Kingdom of Trenni is ruled by King Adrian the second, nineteenth monarch of the Richmond dynasty.

Whilst larger than the island Kingdom of Winfiel to the west, it is small in comparison to the northern pagan nation of Ploania, the numerous eastern landlocked kingdoms, and the southern desert countries.

But what marks the Kingdom of Trenni unique is that it is among the top three most economically influential nations on the continent.

That is because of its currency, the highly valued and respected Trenni silver coin, which is used everywhere on the continent.

Numerous port towns and coastal cities line the kingdom's seaward western borders, from which sail endless streams of cargo fleets from far and wide to trade in all sorts of goods both common and exotic.

And one must not forget its southern and eastern plains which contain vast fertile fields, suitable for growing wheat in addition to oats, rye and barley.

Its northern territories used to be a rally site for launching crusades to the northern pagan lands, but it has been more than fifty years since the last expedition. Nowadays, it is renowned for logging and mining, as well as exporting furs.

Thus, as a result of extensive trade along the western coast and the export of crops grown in the south, the nation's economic status is highly stable, and its financial status very enviable.

Many called the Kingdom of Trenni the capital of commerce. To accentuate that title, within the kingdom one can find merchants from all over the world, and nearly every large foreign trading company has a branch or two somewhere within the nation.

Sixty years had passed since the minting of Diva Company's golden coins bearing the image of the sun in the town of Sovereign, which is situated in the northern plains of Ploania.

While the concept of coin currency to the masses may be nothing more than a means to buy bread and other necessities, there are fundamental reasons as to why coins exist, especially when it comes to gold coins.

In short, gold coins are issued to demonstrate and consolidate power.

Retrospectively, the prospect of minting a new gold currency in addition to the already existing and highly renowned Lumione gold coin, the dozens of silver coins which include Trenni, and the countless types of copper coins, would just mean another set of exchange values for money changers to remember, and another name to confuse merchant apprentices trying to memorize all the different currencies.

And yet, it had the opposite effect.

Today, only a selected few currencies are widely accepted in Ploania and the further lands further north, with Diva's gold coins being the sole gold currency that is accepted. Needless to say, this is due to the schemes of Diva's merchants.

It would therefore not be inaccurate to say that Ploania and the north are fully and totally under the rule of Diva Company, and its nobility merely rich families with special privileges.

The church may cry that handing over the nation's minting and financial responsibilities to merchants would be akin to leaving one's possessions outside the door for thieves to openly take, but in reality it was a huge benefit.

Having dozens of currencies was in short a pain in the backside for the common folk. Money changers already strain to remember the exchange rates for every possible currency at any given day, to say less for everyone else. Moreover, the value of each currency can rise or fall depending on the power fluctuations of the authority that minted them.

For example, a new silver coin issued last year may be worth ten loaves of bread. This year its' worth may rise to fifteen loaves due to the coin's country of origin having an economic boom.

On the flip side, by this time next year, as a result of civil strife leading to the dethronement of the monarch, the same coin might be unusable and worth no more than the amount of silver it contains, if not less.

Thus, by using a select few currencies, which is tightly regulated by merchants whom the church dub as sinners blinded by greed, there would be a better chance of witnessing a cow fly over the moon than the country ever going into a financial crisis.

Money is said to be the root of all evil, but at the same time money is what makes the world go round. The church may say what they may, but the fact is that after Diva Company's gold coin was issued, the north has become stronger than ever before.

That said, the backstory behind Diva's gold coin being minted was not at all simple. The company, which composed of several thousand members backed by numerous nobles, were split into two sects.

One dreamt of using Diva's wealth and fortune to create a land where anyone and everyone was free to ply their trade, while the other sought expansion. In other words, they wanted to hire armies of mercenaries, wage war on the northern lands, and seize rich territories to establish new mines for precious ores and metals.

The names of the company founder and director Mister Diva, its finance officer Mister Hilder, Mister Milicky the governor of Sovereign, and many more are remembered throughout history as vital players who brought the company's scheme to fruition.

Yet, there are two essential persons whose names only a selected few a privy to: Mister Kraft Lawrence, a peddling merchant, and his travelling companion Miss Holo.

They, along with the Myuri mercenary band, were the ones who truly made Diva Company's scheme a success.

If it weren't for their heroic deeds, Mister Diva would have been overthrown, his associates disposed, and the entire region north of Ploania would be plunged into a warzone driven by greed.

That said, it's not like the two individuals feel vexed for being left out. On the contrary, it was highly convenient that they were.

The reason for that is because despite her youthful appearance, Holo isn't human, but a centuries-old wolf deity of the wheat who controls its harvest.

Due to various circumstances, the unlikely pair met in Pasloe, a small farming village in the southern fields of Trenni. Their final destination was forests of Yoitsu, now known as Tolchin, a place that snows all year round and where everything is covered in white.

Despite Yoitsu being their final destination, upon which the two unlikely partners in travel would go their separate paths, when the time came to make the final journey to the forests of white, the pair made an even unlikelier decision.

They decided to remain together as lovers.

They have since settled in Nyohhira, a mountain town in the north famous for its hot springs, and opened their own inn, named Spice and Wolf.

The two lived together happily for many decades.

Signed, Dian Rubens, chief chronicler of Kumerson.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was noontime, but Joshua shivered as a chill breeze wafted pass. He had arrived at Mister Daves's hovel, which, like all the other hovels in the village, was made from twigs and thatch.

As for the owner of the house, he was sat under the porch twirling several lengths of string into rope while his scrawny wife wove long blades of grass into baskets beside him.

After inhaling deeply, Joshua called out a greeting.

Upon looking up and recognizing him, the man got up, scrunched-faced. Whether it was due to stiff joints, the chilly weather, or because of seeing him, Joshua couldn't tell. As for the man's wife, the woman stared at Joshua suspiciously for a few seconds before looking back down to resume weaving the basket in her hands.

"Afternoon."

The villager mumbled softly, lips barely moving. The man was tall and thin, with short brown hair and a messy stubble. He asked if the village elder had informed Joshua of the situation.

"Yes. May I see her, please?"

The man shuffled from one foot to another like a child fidgeting after being told to do something they didn't want. At the end, he nodded and led the way into the hovel. As Joshua passed the woman, she threw one last glance at him before the door closed.

The hovel's interior was small and dimly lit due to there being no windows, save for a small hole in the roof to allow smoke from the hearth to escape. The flooring was merely compact earth strewn with grass, and the air smelt distinctively of boiled leather.

There were several furniture within the small hovel, such as two straw beds, a wooden shelf lined with various household items, and three wooden stools. There was a burnt out fire pit in the middle of the room, on which hung an empty blackened pot. It was a typical home for a typically poor, but not desolate family that could be found in any village.

A little girl lay asleep on one of the beds. Despite being covered in so many thick blankets that they could only see her face, she shivered, and yet her forehead was dotted with tiny beads of sweat.

Joshua went to the bed and knelt down to examine his patient.

She could not be older than ten years old, with short brown hair like her father. Perhaps she sensed someone nearby, for her eyes opened slightly and the child regarded him blankly before closing them again.

"How is she?"

Joshua ignored Daves's question and continued to observe the girl, whose face was as pale as a sheet. Even in slumber, her breath was ragged and hoarse, and once in a while interrupted by throaty coughs. He lifted his right palm and turned towards the girl's father.

"May I?"

The villager's face scrunched again for a moment before nodding hesitantly.

After receiving permission, Joshua laid his palm on the child's forehead. It was very warm. Additionally, her skin felt wet with sweat and clammy to the touch. Within a few moments, he came to a conclusion.

"She doesn't seem to have the plague."

"Oh, thanks goodness!"

Daves exclaimed with great relief.

A few years ago, a terrible plague came from the east. Its mortality rate was high, claiming the lives of four out of every five people who caught it.

At first, the church claimed it was punishment from God against the wicked and the sinful. However, when numerous members of the clergy, including several bishops and an archbishop, were struck by the plague and perished, they quickly revised that claim to state that it was the work of the devil.

But as far as Joshua could tell, the girl had merely caught a very bad cold, and explained to the father as such.

"You must change her clothes, and make sure she drinks plenty. You also need to keep her warm. I would recommend keeping the hearth burning during the day."

At that statement, Daves's face turned sour.

"But we don't have much firewood left…"

It was still a few weeks before the end of winter. Whilst snowfall only occurred overnight and not heavy enough for it to remain for more than a few hours after sunrise, it was still so cold that without firewood to provide warmth during the night, the entire family could freeze to death.

Joshua exhaled through his nose.

"Well… You can let her stay at my cottage, I can-"

He was immediately cut him off by Daves, who frantically raised and shook his hands as if trying to ward away evil.

"No, that won't be necessary!"

Despite expecting that response, Joshua felt disheartened and disappointed. Even so, he nodded with a neutral expression.

"Very well. In the meantime, I can bring some herbs tomorrow. If you add them into soup or porridge and have her eat it, it should help her recover."

Daves looked away, shame faced, before nodding.

"If that is all, I will take my leave now."

Joshua concluded. The villager quickly opened the door to let him out.

"I'll come back tomorrow, then."

He bade, to which the villager mumbled a reply. At the same time, the man's wife got up and strode into the hovel. After bidding him thank you and farewell, Daves closed the door. Moments later, a loud woman's voice could be heard from inside.

Joshua sighed deeply to inhale the cool, dry air before walking away. The voices of the arguing couple soon faded behind him.

The village of Ponoka was composed of twenty cottages and hovels built haphazardly between a series of short hills to the north and vast forests to the east and south, leaving little flat ground to plant crops and raise livestock.

Geographically, it was situated along the northeast end of Ploania, a few miles south from the Roam River. The nearest town was to the west, about a week away on foot.

It was a cold winter afternoon, and Joshua exhaled white mist with each breath. Thankfully the chilly breeze earlier had died down.

The sparse open ground around the village were hard and barren. Only a few pigs can be seen conversing in grunting tones within their pens. Several chickens clucked as they patrolled the streets.

Very few men could be seen. A handful of women sat in front of their cottages, weaving baskets and the like. A group of children aged between five to ten years played nearby, running here and there and scattering the chickens which protested indignantly as they flapped away.

Around this time, most of the men were out hunting in the forests while others, such as Daves, remained in the village doing odd jobs. In the meantime, the women wove and knit while the children played.

During spring, the village raise livestock and sow seeds.

In summer, they fish for eels and chop wood.

In autumn, in addition to harvesting crops, they slaughter the fattened animals and dry them in preparation for winter.

During winter, they hunt for deer and boar, snare rabbit and squirrel, weave baskets, and finally plow the field when spring is around the corner, thereby completing the cycle.

Year in, year out, the routine was the same. Since Ponoka was truly one of those isolated villages situated in the corner of the world, there was a strong sense of community among the inhabitants. Almost everyone born here dies here.

So when the women looked up suspiciously as Joshua walked pass, and the little children who were playing tag fell silent and quickly scampered out of the way as he approached, it was obvious that he wasn't from here.

If one was to hazard a guess, Joshua was in his mid-twenties. Nothing about him was particularly odd except for one thing. While everyone had pale pink skin of various shades and tans, his' was the color of olives.

The village wasn't particularly big. Within a few minutes, Joshua passed the last hovel, crossed empty fields and made his way towards the forest to the south. Since it was midwinter, many of the trees were bare like skeletons. A thick layer of foliage covered the ground.

A single narrow path snaked through the forest. It was a familiar path that he had trod upon for over a year. Small saplings grew along the edges of the path, every so often overlapping with roots from nearby trees. By this time next year, the path will be nonexistent once the saplings grew into trees.

The sounds of chirping birds were clearly audible, and squirrels scampered from branch to branch. Some distance away, an owl hooted. It was a rather peaceful forest, although during nighttime it became a different story. Sometimes during the darkest of nights, you could hear wolves howling in the distance.

He reached the end of the path almost an hour later.

At the end of the path was a clearing, and in the middle of the clearing was a small single storey cottage that had a front porch, planked walls with a sloped roof and a stone chimney.

Many years ago, it had been a hunter's shed before being abandoned. A year had passed since he started living here in solitude.

Joshua veered off the path into the forest to check on the snares he had set up near a rabbit hole. There were half a dozen traps made from rope, and they were all empty. He sighed and mused whether it was because they know a wolf was nearby.

Since there was nothing more to be done, he returned to the path and approached the cottage. Upon arriving at the front door, he paused in hesitation.

It felt a little ridiculous about hesitating whether to enter his own lodgings. Then again, under the current circumstances, maybe it wasn't. He settled to knock a few times before pushing the door open.

The first thing he felt was the gush of warm air from within, caused by the brightly burning fireplace. The interior was bare save for a single occupied bed at the far end of the cottage, a few shelves and the burning fireplace.

Next, he felt the wrath of another person within his home.

"You are late!"

A girl's voice immediately accused sharply while its owner lay under the covers. Only her head was out of the blankets, revealing a teenage girl with long silky hair the color of wheat. Her innocent face was contorted in irritation while large amber eyes glared at him.

She would have looked like a charming young maiden who was being demanding, if it weren't for the pair of sharp and furry beast-like ears at the top of her head, the same color as her hair and with tips as white as snow.

"I came back as soon as I finished."

Joshua replied in apology whilst closing the door.

Those ears of hers twitched a few times and her hostile expression switched to one that was pondering whether to believe him or not. Finally, she huffed and pulled the covers over her chin, presumably letting him off the hook this time.

"I'm hungry. What are we having for lunch?"

She demanded impatiently. Joshua promptly answered.

"Onion and butter stew, with dried vegetables, wild mushrooms and various herbs, and oat bread."

"And some of that dried beef, yes?"

She quickly added. That finally made him frown in protest.

"No way-"

Her eyes turned pitiful like an abandoned puppy's, catching him off guard. One moment she was tyrannical, next she acted pitiful. He could sooner predict next week's weather than comprehend her mood.

"… Fine, but only four pieces."

He compromised whilst removing his overcoat.

The girl smiled brightly, appearing all the more like a fair young maiden, except for the two small but sharp fangs protruding from behind her upper lips.

At the base of the bed, something swished from side to side underneath the blankets. It was caused an equally beast-like tail that was attached to her back, just above her waist.

It was probably obvious by now, but she wasn't human. The girl lying in his bed was Yue Lawrence, a half-wolf from Nyohhira.

As Joshua crossed the room towards the shelves to gather the ingredients, causing the loose wooden floorboards to creak with every step, he recalled how they met yesterday.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was a chilly morning and the air was covered in a thin layer of mist. Despite wearing three layers of clothes, a pair of winter boots, a furred cap and a pair of mittens, Joshua shivered as he trudged through the snowy forest a short distance from his cottage.

From where he originated from, snow was nonexistent. In fact, there was only one kind of weather there: summer. It's been more than ten years since the first time he experienced winter, and even now he still found it cold and miserable.

And so, despite yearning to go back indoors and warm his hands before the fire, he trudged through the forest whilst carefully scanning the ground nearby.

Once in a while, he stopped and stooped down to uproot small plants or pick mushrooms and leaves, after which he kept them in a leather bag slung from his shoulder. Some were for eating, others to grind into medicine powder, or blend into a paste-like ointment.

Since it was such a calm, quiet morning, he wasn't expecting anything unordinary to happen. That was why when he saw a naked girl with long orange-brown hair curled up sideways on the snowy ground a short distance away, he froze.

Is she dead? Did bandits do this? Was she from the village?

The possibilities raced through his mind. After looking around to make sure that he was alone, he slowly advanced towards the still body.

Her body looked unharmed; there was no blood or bruise on it. Since she was naked and half buried under white snow, he expected her skin to be icy blue, yet it was a healthy pink with tints of blue, meaning she hadn't been here for long.

For a split moment, he wondered if this was a trap.

There were tales of con men who would play the role of someone injured to lure passers-by into lowering their guard to help them, only to turn around and rob them. Some would even hire women or children to play the part while they hide nearby in ambush.

Yet such events tended to occur along not-so-popular yet non-abandoned paths, where travelers were few and came infrequently.

On the other hand, this was the middle of the forest. There was no way for a con man to be certain when someone would come by.

As such, Joshua pushed aside those fears and approached.

Once he was standing before her, he knelt down, took off a mitten and reached down towards her neck to check for a pulse.

A thin arm shot up and grabbed his outstretched arm tightly.

He yelped out of reflex, as most people would have done when a seemingly dead person suddenly comes back to life. Once his rationale caught up, fear turned to relief. She was alive.

The girl's head lifted upwards, and Joshua felt his heart skip a beat. Not because he was smitten, though she was extremely pretty, but because what he mistook for fallen leaves on her head were actually a pair of animal ears.

"Ah… Ah…"

He gasped like a fish, trying and failing to find his voice.

"You… I'm hungry…"

The girl groaned with weary amber eyes.

For a split second, he thought that she was a demon and he was soon going to be devoured. Before he could think any further, the girl with the animal ears collapsed once more and remained still.

Despite that, her hand remained clutched onto his arm.

"Oi, are you alright? Hello?"

He called out a few times, but received no further response. After a moment's hesitation, he checked for her pulse. It was normal, but her body felt very cold.

Joshua's mind raced upon realizing that if he doesn't get her out of the cold and warm her body up soon, her life will be in danger due to hypothermia.

He immediately slid his arms under her body and scooped her against his chest while rising up to his feet. Perhaps it was due to her lithe size, but she was surprisingly easy to lift.

Whilst standing, he felt something brush against his knees. Joshua looked down and gasped. A thick bushy brown tail grew from her lower back and dangled in between his legs.

What in the world was she?

He thought whilst turning around to jog back towards the cottage. Once in a while, he glanced down to check her unconscious form for signs of breathing. She looked rather small in his arms, like a child nestling for a nap.

A few minutes later when he glanced down, she had opened her eyes and was looking up at him weakly. Her pink lips curled upwards to reveal a pair of white fangs.

For a split second he imagined those fangs sinking into his neck, like in the horror stories he heard long ago.

"My, my, are you my knight in shining armor?"

She asked coyly with a soft chuckle.

Somehow, it felt like she was toying with him despite the fact she was in arms and he was carrying her like in the romantic tales.

"I'm not a knight, I'm just a woodsman."

He replied in a mumble. The girl slowly blinked.

"Well, I leave myself in your care, Mr. Woodsman."

With that, her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

Her manner reminded him of the imperious young women from the court. He couldn't help but sigh as he trotted back to the cottage with her in his arms.

When Yue regained consciousness, she kept her eyes closed and used her other senses to examine her surroundings. After all, playing possum was an effective tactic to trick others, especially humans, since they always assume a sleeping person was unguarded.

The first thing to strike her was the familiar taste of heated wine at the back of her throat. Hmm, how nice of the woodsman to feed her some wine while she was asleep.

She forced herself not to scowl when taking in the smell of the place. It wasn't unbearable, but it was quite uncomfortable for her sensitive nose. The smell reminded her of medicine.

She also recognized the scent of various herbs, ointments, and other things one could smell in a medicine shop. For a woodsman, this person knows the art of medicine quite well.

Next, she felt her body lying down on a mattress with many blankets over her. A quick mental examination revealed that the woodsman had not bothered with her whilst she was unconscious. Good for him. If he did, even the gods won't be able to save him from her wrath.

Using her keen ears, she focused on the sounds. A fire was cackling nearby. No wonder she felt so warm and toasty underneath the blankets. She could also hear the wind whistling softly outside.

She then heard the sound of steady breathing to the right. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, and so on. Based on the frequency and the depth of each breath, the person was asleep.

Her left eye peeked open and spied upon the wooden cottage she was in before opening the other eye. It was relatively small and quite tidy. There was a large pile of firewood beside the burning fireplace and an assortment of items on the shelves.

Her instincts told her that it was halfway through night time. She turned towards the door, and true enough, it was dark outside through the tiny gap at the bottom of the door. Next, she turned to the other side to study the face of the man who saved her.

The woodsman was sleeping whilst sitting on a stool and leaning against the wall, his upper body covered by a blanket. He looked young, yet was old enough to be a called a man in human years. He was slightly on the thin side, though broader and meatier than her, and looked to be a foot taller.

How strange, the tone of his tanned skin was quite unnatural. She then recalled that the further south one went, the darker the skin color of the native people.

Is he from the south? If so, what is he doing so far north?

After determining that he was indeed asleep, she slid out of the blankets and quietly planted her feet down on the loose wooden floorboards. Her unclothed body immediately felt chilly, so she snatched a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself.

While it was comfortable sleeping under the covers and her savior had not proved to be a threat, Yue felt that it was best if she left now. After all, she was supposed to keep away from humans.

She took one quiet step after another, making nary a sound as she balanced her weight on the balls of her feet carefully. Within six steps she reached the door.

"If you leave now, you'll freeze to death by morning."

Joshua stated as a matter of fact.

Yue jolted in shock before turning around. The woodsman was still sitting on the chair and leaning on the wall, but his eyes were open and staring at her.

Was he awake from the start? No, he can't be. He must have just woken up. What sharp senses.

"Don't worry. I haven't done anything to you, nor do I intend to. You are safe here."

She had to resist the urge to raise an eyebrow in amusement. He must have believed her to be a victim of bandits or some such, having found her naked in the forest. So she decided to smile in thanks before shaking her head.

"Thanks, but I must be going, and you should forget I ever existed."

That statement made Joshua raise his eyebrows.

"Well, if you're that certain, then I won't stop you. But I've already made oat porridge with butter. Didn't you say you were hungry?"

He indicated the pot at his feet, which she hadn't noticed earlier.

Yue's stomach immediately growled loudly. Hunger had finally caught up to her. She bit on her tongue in self-admonishment.

"Hmpf, very well. I shall accept your hospitality a while longer before I take my leave."

Once more, she reminded Joshua of the pompous ladies from the royal court. In reply, he sighed with a nod, got up from the chair and brought the pot to the fireplace to heat up the porridge.

"It won't take too long for it to warm up. Take a seat."

The girl remained standing for a while before deciding to go back under the blankets where it was warm. The way she piled them around her looked like she was making a den.

"Um… pardon me for prying, but you're not human, are you?"

Joshua asked timidly while watching her.

Yue poked her head out of the blankets to smirk at him.

"My, aren't you a sharp one."

She teased before chuckling to herself when he frowned.

"Don't be angry, I was joking. You are only half correct, I'm half human."

That made sense. Other than her ears and the tail, everything else about her looked physically human. Joshua continued to inquire.

"What do you mean by that?"

"My mother is a wolf deity, and my father is a human."

She simply answered.

Joshua didn't have to look at his reflection to guess what kind of expression he was wearing. The thought of a union between a pagan god and a human was unimaginable, and that an offspring could be born between the two was unbelievable.

"Heh, what a nice reaction."

The girl taunted with a smirk. Her eyes then narrowed.

"Although somewhat offensive, since it is the truth."

"S-sorry."

Joshua quickly apologized, and her eyes softened a little.

"Don't worry. No one would believe it anyway."

She stated, then turned away as if to say that their conversation was over. Joshua cursed himself for being so tactless.

During the silence that ensued, he noticed that she does resemble a wolf. Those ears, tail and fangs were a clear giveaway, but there was more to it.

The wolf-girl emitted an animal-like aura about her, and even had a slight animal-like scent. Moreover, the way she spoke and treated him despite appearing younger than he suggested much pride and a personality more suitable to a wild animal than a young maiden.

Once the porridge was heated up until it bubbled gently, he ladled out two bowls and offered one to her. She eagerly snatched the bowl from him with shining eyes.

Apparently, she was a glutton as well.

Now that it was close to her and steaming, Yue could smell the rich buttery scent it emitted. She was surprised about not detecting it before, even if it had been being cold.

Her nose was many times more sensitive than a bloodhound's, after all, she should have been able to smell this rich scent from a distance away. Anyway, that was beside the point. After being given a wooden spoon, she began to eat with gusto.

As she wolfed down the porridge, Joshua offered her a skin containing wine, which she eagerly accepted and drank heavily from. When she passed it back, he gaped in realization that she finished half the skin!

Upon finishing the bowl, Yue was surprised, as if suddenly realizing how famished she must have been to devour the food so quickly. That surprise then turned to disappointment when she also realized her hunger wasn't sated. So when Joshua lifted a hand and asked for her bowl to refill it, she grinned gleefully and handed it over.

Joshua had prepared enough to have leftovers for tomorrow, and luckily he did. By the time the girl was finally full, the pot was already empty.

She must've eaten three or four times more than he did. Just where in her small body does she have such a big stomach? Not only that, she had finished the entire skin of wine, which usually takes him a whole week!

It took quite some effort on Joshua's part to obtain wine from the travelling merchants when they came during spring, and they weren't cheap as well. And now, a wolf-girl finished the entire skin in less than an hour as if it were water.

Any other person would have scolded her, or at least given her dirty stares, but Joshua didn't. It had been a long time since he ate and drank with someone else, so even if that someone wasn't entirely human, he was still grateful for the company which made the price for a skin of wine cheap in comparison.

"Ah, I haven't eaten so well in days! Thank you kindly, the meal was sumptuous!"

She exclaimed merrily while smiling happily at him.

He couldn't help but feel bashful after being praised so by such a lovely looking girl, despite her having a pair of animal ears that flicked in concordance with her cheerfulness.

Before he could reply, her expression turned to one of solemn apology. She remembered what she had said before.

"Then, I will be taking my leave now."

She said, and got up from the bed. Was it her imagination, or does she feel groggy?

"I don't think that's a wise idea."

Joshua warned.

"Oh, and why is that?"

She inquired curiously.

"Well… Run towards the door and you'll find out."

She stared at him oddly before doing as he suggested. Halfway towards the door, her vision flickered to white and her head started to pound like hammers on an anvil. It took great effort for her not to stumble as she turned towards him with suspicion written all over her face. Did he drug her? Was it the food, or the wine before?

In response, he brought up both hands in surrender.

"In case you're wondering, I did not drug you, at least not in a bad way. While you were asleep, I fed you a tonic mixed with wine. You nearly died from cold and exhaustion, so take it easy."

Her ears twitched slightly as she continued to glare at him. Was that why her nose wasn't as sensitive as it should be?

"You, are you telling the truth?"

Yue demanded dangerously.

For some reason, Joshua knew that if his answer was less than satisfactory, his life might be in jeopardy, so he answered simply since it was the truth.

"Yes."

She looked startled by that response. Perhaps she was surprised at the honesty, or the audacity, or his answer. Or maybe she was surprised that she really was ill with fatigue?

After flicking her ears a few times, her scowl softened into an apologetic smile.

"Then I'll have to impose on your hospitality a while longer."

She said that with a sweet face, yet spoke in a cheeky tone. Was she being thankful or playful? With that, she jumped right into bed and happily snuggled back into the den she had created.

Joshua found himself smiling awkwardly, truly at a loss as to how to deal with her. A thought popped into mind and he cleared his throat. In answer, she poked her head out of the blanket-den to look at him inquisitively.

"Um… I realized that we haven't introduced ourselves yet."

She blinked a few times, and went "oh" silently.

"Ah, you're right."

She then raised herself up to stand straight on the bed, lifting the blankets around her like some sort of ceremonial robe.

"My name is Yue Lawrence of Nyohhira, nice to meet you."

She introduced herself grandiosely, even to the point of bowing slightly at the end. Truly, she reminded him of the proud ladies from the imperial court.

"I'm Joshua."

He replied simply.

"Mmm, Joshua, you have my thanks."

She finished before crouching down onto the bed. The blankets around her formed the den once more and she hid within them.

Since there was nothing else to say, Joshua decided to go and sleep. It was several hours till sunrise, after all. After making some preparations for the next day, he tossed some earth into the fire to reduce it to embers, after which he wrapped himself in a blanket and went back to sleep on the chair with his back leaning against the wooden wall.

As everything slowly grew darker, Joshua suddenly realized that the once spacious cottage was a little too small for two people. Rather than feeling annoyed by that, he felt at ease while closing his eyes.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Back to the present time.

Joshua tossed the last ingredient – a slice of goat's butter – into the pot of stew that was placed over the fire and placed a wooden lid over the pot before leaving it to simmer. A rich aroma had already begun to waft from the pot, which Yue was sniffing appreciatively.

"Would you like to eat first, or take your medicine first?"

He asked and turned about to witness Yue's sour expression. Every time he brought it up, her reaction was the same.

"I don't want it, I'm feeling much better."

She retorted adamantly. In response, Joshua shook his head and went to the shelf where the medicine powder was kept in a little pouch.

"Nope. You're not even strong enough to walk steadily. It's the last time, so bear with it."

Not only was it bitter and had an unpleasant aftertaste, it had a smell which she described as 'nose crumpling'.

"Can't I have it with wine, then?"

She attempted to compromise.

"You could have, if you hadn't finished the entire wineskin yesterday."

Joshua countered, and felt mildly triumphant when he noticed her wince with regret. The half-wolf then huffed proudly as he poured the powder into a wooden cup half-filled with water.

"Very well, I shall have it now. That way, it won't ruin the aftertaste of a good meal."

"Very wise."

He agreed before moving to her bedside and offering the cup.

She regarded him begrudgingly, then glared at the cup like it was her arch nemesis, before snatching it from him to chug it. Her delicate features scrunched tight as she forced herself to drink the bitter medicine as quickly as possible. Finally, she returned the empty cup.

"Well done."

He praised, handing her a water skin in exchange for the cup.

"Urgh, it was most foul."

Yue grumbled as she drank some water to wash away the bitter taste. She shot him a sharp glance before passing the skin.

"I expect the meal to be sumptuous."

"I will do my best."

He replied offhandedly, then went to tend to the pot.

About an hour later, lunch was ready. Joshua ladled the stew into two wooden bowls and passed one to her, along with a wooden spoon. Yue sat up, accepted it with the briefest of thanks and immediately started eating as her tail swished from side to side behind her back.

He waited for her to finish the first bowl before starting a conversation.

"Um… you said you were the child of a human and a wolf deity, right? Does that mean you can transform into a wolf?"

Yue turned towards him and nodded.

"That's right, though I prefer this form. It's rather comely, isn't it?"

She asked coyly, and snickered when he blushed.

"My, aren't you cute."

Joshua cleared his throat to force down his embarrassment, and asked another question.

"So… Why were you naked in the forest?"

Since she had been asleep throughout the entirety of the morning except to drink her medicine, he decided to leave the questioning for later. The reason he asked was because he was curious. After all, this is the first time he met a half-wolf half-human. How does one like her survive in a human-dominated world where creatures like her were called demons or monsters?

Yue pursued her lips.

"Well… Let's just say I became careless."

He had to think quite hard to imagine a scenario that could lead to such an outcome. She noticed his reaction and chuckled.

"Don't frown so, it makes you look older!"

She teased, causing Joshua to frown even more.

"Shouldn't you be more respected to someone older than you?"

She looked at most seventeen or eighteen, about six or seven years younger than him. Yue raised an eyebrow at that statement.

"Ooh? Then you must look pretty young for someone of your age, for you to lecture me about that."

She countered sarcastically. Joshua found himself blinking a few times in confusion. Yue grinned before answering his unspoken question.

"I have lived through forty-one winters."

That grin widened even further when he looked utterly surprised, revealing her fangs.

"Are you surprised to see someone of my age look so youthful?"

Rather than answering, Joshua nodded.

"Well, my mother looks a few years older than me, yet she's lived for many centuries."

His immediate thought was that she was lying, but the fact that she said it so offhandedly countered that. He then remembered that her mother was a wolf deity, a being similar to that of a God. Along those lines, his thoughts wandered to that God's human spouse...

"My father passed away eight winters ago."

Yue stated as a matter of fact. Joshua brought a hand up to cover his face. Such was his embarrassment for letting his thoughts show so obviously.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Yue replied with an unexpectedly soft smile.

"My father was a great man any child can be proud of."

Despite the smile, her tail and ears drooped. After that, she resumed eating in silence. This time it didn't feel like she was ending the conversation, but rather paused it so that she could concentrate on stuffing her belly.

Joshua thought, maybe he was beginning to understand her a little better.

Once they had finished eating, Yue pulled out her tail and started to groom it by stroking her thin fingers through the fine long fur, untangling any knots and removing any material stuck within. The concentration she wore whilst doing this was similar to a woman when combing her hair, but then again, the fur on her tail was many times thicker and lovelier than a normal woman's hair.

"Do all wolves care for their tails like that?"

Joshua asked mildly. The wolf-girl hummed in affirmation.

"A wolf's tail is their greatest pride. A wolf without a magnificent tail is like a king without a crown, or queen without her jewels."

Joshua nodded, understanding where she was coming from. He gathered the dishes and got up, intending on going outside to wash the bowls and utensils using a barrel of melted snow water beside the door. Along the way out of the door, he thought he saw Yue glance his way.

After washing up, he went to check on the animal traps, and once again found them all empty. Could it be because they know a half-wolf was nearby? He thought to himself again.

When he returned to the cottage a short while later, he started gathering together the herbs to pass to Daves tomorrow. By the time be returned, Yue had finished grooming her tail and had crawled underneath the blankets for a nap. She poked her head out to regard him a few seconds when he entered before returning under the covers.

Echinacea and astragulus roots, elder berries, and yarrow leaves. Joshua picked them one after another from the shelf where they were kept in little cloth pouches.

Now, where were the lobelia leaves? He checked the shelf from top to bottom and could not find any. Hmm, he must have run out after using it to make Yue's medicine.

Since there were a few hours before sunset, he decided to go out and collect some in one of the few places where he had seen them grow. Still, he sighed at the prospect of going out into the cold.

After putting on warm clothing and slinging a leather bag over his shoulder, he went towards the door. As he reached for the door handle, he heard the bed sheets rustle slightly. Joshua turned and saw that Yue had poked her head out of the blankets, staring at him as if asking 'where are you going?'

"I'm going outside to collect some herbs, I'll be back soon."

She blinked once and nodded slowly before closing her eyes and hiding under the covers. For a second he considered asking if something was wrong, but ultimately decided not to.

With that thought he left the cottage, turned left and started ascending up the gentle slope where he had seen lobelia plants growing at the top of the hill.

By the time Joshua arrived at the hilltop, he was panting heavily, billowing great puffs of white with each exhale. Looking back down the slope, he saw the cottage at the very bottom, and could have sworn it wasn't so steep during spring. After shrugging as if to say 'whatever', he stepped forward and started looking for the plant.

After wandering around for a little while, he found several of the foot-tall plant with small dark blue flowers growing in a little meadow among the grass and ferns. He picked half a dozen healthy leaves from each plant, enough for himself and leaving enough for the plants to survive and grow.

Just as he was about done, he heard something rustle nearby. It was too loud to be a small animal.

Joshua brought one hand to hold the handle of a dagger sheathed at his waist and looked up. Standing at the edge of the meadow were two men with half-drawn bows pointed at their feet. He recognized them as hunters from the village. Even so, he did not let go of the dagger immediately.

"Ho, what brings you out here, Mister Joshua?"

One of the hunters called. He was older between the two, with long gray hair and beard. Joshua stood up and let his arms fall to his sides.

"I'm picking lobelia leaves for Daves' daughter, she's sick with a cold."

He calmly explained. In the village, the women ignored him and the children avoided him, but at least some of the men were reasonable enough to converse with.

The second hunter scowled and muttered something, too soft for Joshua to hear across the meadow. The older hunter who had spoken first glanced at his companion sharply before returning his gaze to Joshua.

"Well, alright then. But be careful, we're tracking a giant wolf that attacked us a few days ago."

He warned gravely. Joshua had to force himself not to look too surprised.

"A giant wolf?"

The hunter nodded slowly.

"It attacked us during the night. It was huge too, taller than a bear!"

His arms were spread out to emphasize his point. Somehow, Joshua found it hard not to link this to Yue. Was she with the wolf that attacked them? Was she the wolf that attacked them? Another question crept into his mind.

"Did it hurt anyone?"

He asked with trepidation. When the older hunter shook his head, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"It ran off as soon as we grabbed our bows. But a wolf that big, it's definitely dangerous. So we're hunting it down, safer for everyone that way."

It was sensible, but Joshua couldn't help but feel differently. To hunt down a creature just because it looked dangerous didn't sit well with him. Still, he had to nod in agreement, or it would look suspicious.

"Say, you haven't seen the wolf around, have you?"

The second hunter demanded. The first hunter hissed under his breath like an exasperated mother would at her impudent child.

"No, I have not."

Joshua answered firmly. It was the truth, since he has only seen a girl with beast's ears and tail, who claims to be a descendant of a wolf and a human.

The first hunter cuffed the other's shoulder.

"Anyway, we'll take our leave here. Watch out for yourself."

He bade and urged the other to walk. The two hunters soon blended into the foliage. Joshua remained where he stood for a while, deep in thought.

Despite knowing that Yue was half wolf, he never imagined the possibility that as a wolf, she could attack people. Wolves were wild creatures after all. They steal sheep, chickens, pigs and other livestock from humans, and are known to attack unwary travelers as well.

If so, could the human body that Yue wore merely be a disguise? Could she actually be a wild, bloodthirsty animal? Joshua shuddered as he recalled those fangs of hers. They certainly look sharp enough to rip flesh from bones.

And most importantly, if she really was a wild creature, what should he do?

With those questions swimming in mind, he descended the hill back to the cottage. His hand never strayed from the dagger sheathed at his side.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

By the time Joshua opened the door into the cottage, the sun was already setting over the horizon and the sky had darkened considerably.

"I'm back-huh? Hei, you've already had your portion!"

Joshua protested, feeling uncharacteristically on edge due to the trepidation of what might soon happen.

The person in question, Yue, proceeded to pop the rest of the streak of dried beef from her hand into her mouth and munch on it happily. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed with a blanket draped about her shoulders like a cloak. The girl's ears pricked up before she turned towards him, scowling.

"I got bored waiting. Don't be so stingy."

"Don't you know that this is called stealing?"

He retorted while striding forward to snatch the pouch of dried beef from her. His other hand was already on the handle of his dagger, in case she decided to turn hostile. She gazed at him evenly.

She was a wolf. He told himself. Wolves attack humans.

"Say, did something happen?"

Yue suddenly asked out of the blue, throwing him off guard.

"W-what do you mean by that?"

She tilted her head slightly with an inscrutable expression.

"Yesterday, I ate five while you were outside, and you merely muttered a few words. Today you agreed to me having four in total, yet I've only had three and you come marching in later like a judge about to condemn a criminal. Look inside and see for yourself."

He glanced into the bag and quickly counted the pieces remaining. She was right, she only had three in total, and thus there was no reason for him to be angry. Moreover, he didn't have to lose his temper over a few pieces of dried beef, even if she finished the whole bag. He then realized that his temper was little more than an outlet of nervousness due to what he had heard earlier.

"Was it me who attacked them, right?"

Yue continued with a disarming grin, and Joshua jolted as if electrocuted.

Could she read minds? No, she must have heard the conversation, but they were far enough from the cottage that one would have to shout very loudly to be heard from one end to the other, so how could she have heard it from so far away? He looked at her with that question written plainly on his face.

Yue's grin widened.

"My senses may have been dull yesterday because I was ill, but not anymore. I could even tell you what the other lad said about you, if that is your wish. So, did you think it was me who attacked them?"

She repeated the question. After a few tense seconds, Joshua nodded. Fear started to trickle down his spine as her grin widened, and the half-wolf chuckled.

"My, what an honest lad, and you're right, it was indeed me."

Joshua's breath caught, even though he had expected that answer.

"But, my goal wasn't the men, but the pig."

"I see… Wait, what?"

His fear immediately dissipated into thin air, and Yue's expression turned sour as if she had bitten into a lemon.

"I thought I could snatch it from the campfire and run away, but in my excitement dropped it, and before I could turn back for it, those hunters already had their bows. How infuriating!"

She sighed deeply. Joshua then connected the dots that led to him meeting her naked and starving in the forest.

"So you took off your clothes, changed into wolf form to steal a pig they were roasting, failed and ran away, only to collapse in exhaustion later?"

Yue threw him a menacing glare before nodding grudgingly.

"I left my clothes and my possessions behind as well, how embarrassing."

She probably meant how embarrassing it was for her pride as a wolf, rather than the fact that she became naked and penniless as a result of her attempted theft. Joshua would have laughed, if she wasn't glaring at him as if daring him to.

He imagined that she could have just joined them and asked to share their meal, but immediately refuted the idea. Finding a lone girl in the forest late at night would be akin to finding a malicious spirit wearing human skin. Moreover, Yue would have to cover her head to conceal those wolf ears, making her all the more suspicious.

"Well, you could have come to the village and bought food."

He reasoned, and wondered whether she will counter that she was too overwhelmed by hunger to do that.

"I would have, but I didn't have any money…"

Yue countered instead.

Oh that makes sense, he thought to himself, until she finished her sentence.

"I spent the Solar coin mother gave me."

"Solar… Wait, you were given a Solar!?"

Joshua shouted in surprise, and Yue's ears twitched as she winced at the sudden increase in volume.

Solar was the name of the gold coin minted by Diva Company. It was worth around fifty two Trenni silver coins. A person can eat good food, drink fine wine and sleep on a down-filled bed in a luxurious room for a day using a single Trenni, now imagine fifty two times of that.

"Wait, you got it some time ago and spent it all, right?"

Yue shook her head at his attempt to reason.

"I got it maybe a week ago. I spent it all within then."

Joshua choked with disbelief. Just how lavishly does she live? He shook his head to calm down.

"You could've begged the villagers for alms. They might take pity on you."

"Ohoh, and what if they find out who I am?"

Yue retorted and he conceded. She had a point.

"Anyway, that's why I came to you, no?"

"Huh? You did?"

Joshua blurted in surprise. He thought that it was due to luck that he found her freezing and starving in the forest. The wolf-girl nodded.

"I came here because I knew you're not the type that would refuse to help a person in need, nor the type to take advantage of a helpless maiden, am I not correct?"

She asked with a cheeky smile, revealing both fangs.

Yeah right, who would want to take advantage of a maiden with fangs, a pair of beastly ears and tail? Joshua retorted to himself.

"Perhaps, but weren't you worried that I might tell the villagers about your ears and tail?"

For the first time, Yue smiled sympathetically.

"No, because I know."

"Know?"

"I know that you're an outcast, the lone wolf with no pack."

At that moment, it felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water over him. Indeed, Joshua recalled the villagers' expressions when he first showed up almost a year ago: fear, suspicion, disgust. He remembered how the women and children would scurry away when he passed, as if he carried some incurable disease.

His chest throbbed, and his hands unconsciously clenched into tight fists.

All of a sudden, a small body leaned into him from behind and gently wrapped its arms around his torso. He hadn't realized Yue had gotten up and went around him. She was probably a full head shorter than him, which explained why her forehead was resting in between his shoulder blades.

Her body felt warm against his back, and so gentle. Two small bumps were softly pressed against his back, which he realized were her breasts. She had a peculiar animal-like scent about her, the kind one could smell in a hunter's lodge, but much more pleasant.

"Lone wolves are usually stronger than the ones belonging in a pack. You might be alone, but you survived just fine, yes?"

Yue consoled. After a brief moment of silence, Joshua spoke.

"I wasn't always alone. I used to have a family: a mother, father, and a little brother. After I was taken away from home, I still had comrades. Even they are no longer around, only I'm left."

In response, Yue hugged him tighter.

"It must have been hard."

Silence. They stayed like for a long time until she finally let go and went to sit back down on the bed. Joshua felt a little embarrassed, but she smiled as if nothing had happened.

"So, you were imagining that I was a wild, bloodthirsty wolf, hmm?"

Yue stated rather than asked, and thus brought the original topic back. Joshua felt afraid once again. But this time, it wasn't the kind that was felt when presented with a dangerous situation, but more like when a child has been caught misbehaving. And so like a child, Joshua hung his head. He heard Yue huff.

"Not only that, you were thinking of using that knife if I turned violent, hmm?"

By now, Joshua could feel cold sweat trick down his back. Yue leaned forward and rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him with those devious amber eyes. Joshua knew that she has an overwhelming advantage over him, and all he could do was pray that she'll have mercy.

"So, what say you pass me that, hmm?"

Yue said, indicated the bag of dried beef strips with her eyes. Joshua could only sigh with relief and defeat before handing it over. Yue happily accepted it, leaned back to sit straight on the bed and took out a piece.

At least now, Joshua knew that she wasn't dangerous. The price for that were his dignity and a bag of dried meat. He quietly wondered if she had planned all this from the moment he walked through that door.

"Say… Are you on some kind of journey?"

Joshua asked to change the subject. Yue nodded happily.

"It's the first time I really left home. I wanted to see what the world is like, and mom finally agreed to let me go. I spent years persuading her, too!"

Joshua felt a pang of jealousy. At least she has a home to return to.

"Where is home?"

"It's in the north, in Nyohhira, do you know about it?"

The name sounded familiar.

"Hmm, is that the town famous for its hot springs?"

"The very same!"

Yue affirmed, her cheerful smile then turned bashful.

"Um, I've been meaning to ask, but where are you from? I've never met anyone of your color."

Color? He deduced that she meant skin color.

"I'm from a country far to the south, where summer is the only season, the ground is always dry and most of it is covered in sand."

Yue's eyes went wide.

"Ooh… Sand as in like at the beach? So there's no autumn or spring or winter there? Does that mean it doesn't snow?"

Joshua had to answer her questions one by one, all of a sudden feeling like a seasoned adventurer answering an excited child. And then, she asked the thousand coin question.

"So… Why are you so far away from home?"

Joshua's back stiffened when she asked that question, as if he had been whipped. He recalled the city of a hundred spires on fire, the dark abyss of the ship's belly, and the groans and moans of his fellow countrymen as they lay shackled like beasts.

A shiver went through him as he recalled those scenes vividly. Should he explain it to her, would she understand? She must have noticed his stricken reaction, for her lighthearted countenance turned contrite.

"Um… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry…"

Yue murmured with eyes downcast, ears flattened behind her head and tail held in her hands.

By outward appearance Joshua had merely remained rooted to the spot, stiff as a board, but Yue's keen senses told her many other things. From the way his eyes became fixated and his jaw clenching tightly, it was obvious he was upset. Her ears heard his heartbeat increase significantly, even compared to before when she pulled the rug from under his feet by tricking him into giving her the bag of food.

This was the first time he looked so distressed, so fearful and so uncertain, and yet so angry.

As for the other party, seeing Yue so remorseful made Joshua feel bad, so he smiled to try and mitigate this unpleasant mood.

"Don't worry about it. Say, it's still a little early, but why don't I prepare dinner for us?"

Yue looked up to gauge his feelings, and realized that he was trying to lift her mood. To think that just minutes before, it was her that was trying to lift his mood, and now their roles had reversed. In such a capricious turn of events, all she could do was laugh merrily.

"Mmm, that would be delightful!"

She agreed happily, never one to refuse a meal.

Seeing her smiling once more made him smile despite himself.

Since it felt rather hot wearing three layers indoors with a warm fire, he quickly unadorned the outer and middle layers of clothes. After that he went to work preparing the ingredients and gathering the utensils.

By the time dinner was ready, the sun had fully set, so everything outside the cottage was dark and foreboding. Yet inside the cottage, it was bright, warm, and lively.

After handing her a bowl of stew, Joshua went behind one of the shelves and brought out a wineskin he had hidden behind a bundle of cloth and blankets.

"Oh! So you finally decided to take one out!"

Yue exclaimed happily, tail wagging frantically. He was surprised by the lack of surprise in her statement.

"Eh? You knew I had it?"

Yue smiled craftily and tapped her nose.

"My nose is very sensitive. I can tell you have two more skins of wine on that shelf, not only that, you've got another pouch full of dried beef in that other shelf."

She tilted her head to another shelf nearby. Joshua nodded, impressed.

"Then why didn't you help yourself to the wine before?"

The wolf-girl glared at him indignantly.

"I am not a thief who would dig in other's dens for hidden bones, though those said bones are poorly hidden."

She added slyly. Joshua sighed, and decided to play along with her.

"So, what else have your keen senses uncovered in his den of mine?"

He asked while handing her the wineskin. After taking a large swill of wine, she passed it back to him and started pointing.

"Well, it's obvious you've got many of types of herbs on that shelf. Other than your food and wine stash previously mentioned, you have a cache of some sort underneath those floorboards, don't you?"

Such was Joshua's surprise that he choked on the wine he was about to swallow. He looked at the floor where she pointed. It was exactly as she said.

"How…?"

The wolf-girl chuckled through her nose.

"My ears heard it creaking differently compared to the others when you walked over it. The rest of the floor has earth underneath them, but that one is hollow."

Joshua shook his head in admiration. Her senses were far superior to that of any human. It justified her claim to be a descendant of a wolf deity, even if it's only from one parent.

"Do you have other talents?"

He inquired out of curiosity.

"Hmm… Not really!"

Yue admitted, for once looking modest. They enjoyed their early dinner with small chatter and drinking wine from the skin until it was empty. Yue half-joked about bringing out another skin, but Joshua adamantly refused. When they were done, they continued chatting until the fire began to die down.

"Ooh… I'm so full…"

Yue mewed in content as she fell face first onto the bed. Joshua smiled as her tail waved from side to side. She yawned and closed her eyes to sleep. He decided to wash the bowls and utensils now rather than tomorrow. After gathering the things, he walked towards the door.

"Where are you going…?"

He heard Yue call worriedly. He turned and saw her wearing the same anxious expression as before whilst lying on the bed, that same look when he left to find the lobelia plant. Was she the type who hates to be alone? If that's the case, why did she decide to go on a journey?

"I'm going to wash these since it is still early."

Joshua told her, lifting the things he held for emphasis. She looked at him closely before nodding and turning away. Despite feeling a little perplexed, he left the cottage and did the washing.

When he was done and returned indoors, he found her buried under a mound of blankets, from which he could hear her breathing loudly like a beast in its den.

After throwing some earth into to the fire to reduce it to embers, he wrapped himself in a blanket and went to sleep in his corner, on a stool with his back against the wall.

Only three days had passed since they met, yet they way they conversed made it seem like they have known each other for a long, long time.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The dungeon was a dark and damp place, with a low ceiling, an uneven floor and only one wooden door leading out. Illumination came from a single wall side torch that burned brightly.

In the middle of the dungeon, two burly men stood beside a seated boy whose arms and legs were shackled with iron chains. Beside them was a squat wooden bench, and a small metal furnace filled with red-hot coals.

"Hold him down."

One of them ordered in a gruff voice that was devoid of any emotion. He was broad shouldered, with a face marked by terrible scars and several missing teeth. In one gloved hand he held an iron brand. The tip of the cruel-looking device glowed red hot.

The other man grabbed a fistful of the boy's dark hair and forced him to bend down over the bench. A second hand yanked his right arm out to expose the shoulder.

The boy couldn't be older than eight or nine years old, and was unable to resist as he pleaded in a foreign tongue so rapidly that it sounded like a string of curses. The men took no note of his pleas.

The iron brand shot down and landed on his shoulder. Searing white pain immediately shot through him, spreading throughout his body like poison. The dungeon became filled with the sound of sizzling flesh and a child's scream.

Joshua's eyes snapped open and slowly focused on Yue's face that was an arm's length away from his. She looked quite worried, even a little afraid. Upon realizing that his mouth was slightly ajar, he closed it.

The wolf-girl, wrapped in a blanket, then sighed and stepped back.

Based on the amount of light coming down from the chimney, dimly illuminating the cottage, he guessed that a few hours had passed since sunrise.

"Finally, you are awake. You were squirming and talking in a foreign tongue."

Yue said as she sat on the bed, looking at him with concern.

Joshua hung his head. It had been many years since he had that nightmare, and they had stopped being so livid many years before that. So why did it happen now? Was it because of yesterday's conversation?

"Say, what were you dreaming about?"

She asked tentatively. Joshua remained silent as he thought of an excuse.

"I was begging you not to eat anymore. Otherwise, you would finish everything I've got."

He replied with forced joviality. Yue's eyes narrowed into slits and her ears flicked briefly in annoyance. A moment later, she sneered.

"Hah, what a miser."

She countered, turned around and laid down as if to nap. It was obvious that she knew he was lying, but had chosen not to push the matter. Joshua cursed himself for being so terrible at lying.

A few seconds later, she turned her head.

"By the way, a foolish rabbit got caught in your trap. Best go collect it soon before a fox comes along to do it for you."

Joshua raised his eyebrows, partly surprised that she knew a rabbit had been caught and otherwise pleased that a rabbit had been caught. He agreed with her statement and got up. However, one thing she said bothered him.

"Why is the rabbit foolish?"

"Only a fool would get caught in a trap that smells so distinctly human. I for one would never fall for it."

She declared proudly.

"Ooh? I figured a roasted pig would be perfect bait for you."

He countered whilst stretching upwards, causing stiff joints to pop.

Yue's head snapped towards him and he feared he had gone too far, until he noticed that her expression was one that was highly impressed.

"My, you're rather quick witted!"

She teased with a wide grin. In response, Joshua shrugged sheepishly and went outside as Yue snickered.

When he returned, Joshua noticed the wolf-girl observing him intently as he gutted and skinned the rabbit near the fireplace. He could guess what she was about to say.

"It is too early to have meat. We will roast this one during noon."

In villages, breakfast was a luxury meal that few could afford. Moreover, the church preached that one should eat frugally in the morning, so most people's breakfast would consist of porridge, or bread topped with cheese, and washed down with light ale. Having meat and wine for breakfast would be something only the rich or noble can afford.

But those customs clearly did not apply to Yue, since she frowned heavily with disappointment.

"Humph, very well, even though tis' me who pointed out it was caught."

Joshua could not refute her claim, so he did not respond to avoid getting himself caught in another of her verbal traps. After cleaning and salting the carcass, he wrapped it in leaves and laid it close to the fire. He then went to prepare breakfast: porridge made from wheat grain and butter, with nuts added to it.

When they finished eating, Yue climbed back into bed to lie down and groom her tail. She had nearly fully recovered from fatigue. By tomorrow she will be ready to continue on her way. A part of Joshua was proud that she had fully recovered under his care, but a greater part felt saddened that she will soon be gone.

Rather than remain in the cottage and risk revealing those thoughts to her, which would definitely make her tease him more, he decided to go to Ponoka and pass Daves the herbs for his daughter.

The thought of that lifted his spirits a little. Slowly, the villagers might come to trust him, and perhaps one day they will welcome rather than shun him.

After putting on his warm clothing, he picked up the leather bag, placed the small pouch of herbs he compiled yesterday into it and walked to the door.

"You are going so early?"

He heard Yue ask, making him turn to face her. Was it his imagination, or did she look lonely? He nodded.

"If I leave early, I can return earlier to roast the rabbit, right?"

Yue's longing gaze lifted at his answer, and she smiled sweetly.

"Then I expect you back as soon as possible."

Joshua sighed as if to say 'God, have mercy on me', and her smile widened to reveal both fangs. He took this as a cue to make his exit, and left the cottage.

By the time he arrived at the village, the sun was already high up in the clear blue sky. Women were sitting before their houses, chatting whilst weaving and sewing while their children played nearby. As soon as they saw him, the women fell silent and the children's laughter ceased. Despite their cold attitude, Joshua greeted them good morning as he made his way towards Daves's hovel.

He found the man outside his cottage, this time replacing the wooden fence of his chicken coop. Daves noticed him approaching, quickly put down the tools and hurriedly made his way over. Joshua noted the concerned look on the villager's pale face.

"Mister Joshua! Thank goodness you're here, her condition has worsened!"

The villager cried desperately as he practically ushered Joshua towards the door. Sensing the urgency, Joshua nodded and quickly followed Daves into the cottage. It took a few seconds for his eyes to become accustomed to the dark, windowless interior of the hovel. It was obvious that the fireplace was not burning.

He went towards the little girl's bed and frowned heavily. The girl's bed was piled high with blankets, so much so that it resembled a little mountain over her. Her breathing was thin and ragged, and when she coughed it did not stop until her voice became hoarse. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead and felt it was extremely hot.

"She's overheating! You must remove the blankets!"

Joshua cried as he started to pull the blankets off her one by one. They were all thick, heavy and fur-lined. Any one of these would be enough for him to keep warm at night in his cottage.

"W-what!?"

Daves stammered in shock.

"But my wife said that it's-"

"She's hot enough to burn out, Mister Daves!"

Joshua retorted angrily. Just as he pulled down the fourth blanket, the door opened loudly and sunlight streamed into the room. Joshua turned around and was blinded by the light, but he recognized the face standing at the door to be Daves's wife, who was glaring at him.

"What do you think you are doing?"

She demanded angrily, storming in into the hovel and slamming the door behind her. She was shorter than him, but thick set.

"Her body temperature is too high, she can die!"

Joshua insisted as he continued to pull the blankets off the child. The arrogant mother scowled at him, but turned to her husband.

"I told you we don't need him! I can take care of her!"

Daves cowered under her glare.

"But Lily's fever is very high, that can't be good!"

His wife shook her head adamantly, tossing her mane of curly light colored hair from side to side.

"My mother, my grandmother and all the other women say: sweat out the fever. And that's what I'm doing."

"Yes, that is true to an extent, but not to the extent of overheating!"

Joshua interrupted as he finally pulled off the second last blanket. He then felt the last blanket on top of the child. It was drenched in sweat and felt as warm as a recently ladled bowl of soup.

"Change her clothes and the mattress, and make sure she drinks a lot of water, she's dehydrated."

He stated, pulling the damp blanket off and replacing it with a dry one. Daves's wife hissed like a cat, clearly at the end of her patience.

"Just who do you think you are!? This is my house, this is my daughter!"

She screeched. Joshua back stiffened and he bit the end of his tongue to halt the words he wanted to retort. After sighing once, he made sure the blankets covered the little girl up to her chin. He then turned to Daves, dug into the leather bag and handed him the pouch of herbs.

"Take it. There are echinacea roots, elder berries, astragulus roots, yarrow leaves and lobelia leaves in there. Have her eat the berries, boil the leaves and roots in broth or porridge and have her eat it. It should help control the fever and reduce her coughing."

Daves's mouth dropped. The herbs Joshua offered can only be found in the forest and even the hunters and foragers have difficulty finding them since they were rare. To him, being given such rare herbs was like being offered gold. Despite the intense glare from his wife, Daves accepted the pouch and sincerely thanked Joshua.

"I have some nutritious seeds and berries that she can eat. I can go and fetch them now."

Joshua stated and walked towards the door, but halted since Daves's wife barred the way. She was scowling at him with clear hostility.

"Who do you think you are, thinking you know what's best for my daughter?"

Was the woman was so full of pride that she would risk her daughter's life to keep it? Joshua thought to himself before answering her.

"I was born in the far south, where the art of medicine is a hundred times more developed than the superstitions and myths that you believe. Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

He then walked around her and left the hovel, and was momentarily blinded by the glare of the sun after stepping out of the dark hovel.

For one, the houses back in his home country all had windows. Sunlight was good for the skin and sick people often recover better when there was good air ventilation. It was so much different compared to here, where the sick are confined in dark rooms with every window closed as if to quarantine them.

After sighing one more time, he started walking out of the village. Once again, he passed the women and the children, who performed the ritual of falling deathly silent as he passed. Soon he left the village behind him and was on the path towards the forest.

Within a few minutes after passing the tree line, he crossed paths with the two hunters from yesterday. The two men looked mildly surprised to see him. The younger one then scowled while the older one raised a hand in greeting.

"Ho there, Mister Joshua, went to give Daves the herbs?"

He asked with a smile. Joshua replied that he did.

"Great. His daughter means the world to him and his wife, Bella. Everyone in the village is worried for her, and hopes she quickly recovers under your care."

Joshua knew that the man was trying to be polite. It was obvious that the vast majority of the village distrusts him. A good example would be the young hunter, who was glaring at him with open hostility. However, he was carrying something unusual in his arms. It looked like a set of clothes wrapped in a fine oak-brown cloak.

"Um, what is that?"

Joshua pointed at it and asked, even though he had a clue as to what it was, and more importantly to whom it belonged to.

"Oh, we found these near our campsite, where that wolf attacked us."

The older hunter explained with a perturbed frown.

"It's women's clothing, fine ones, too. There's no rip or tears in them, so someone must have left them there."

Joshua did his best to look disbelieving, and perhaps he succeeded because the old hunter shrugged as if to say 'I don't have a clue why that is'.

"I told you, it must belong to that wolf!"

The young hunter insisted.

"Nonsense, George! Your head is in the clouds."

The older hunter grumbled, half amused, half annoyed.

"I'm telling you, it is!"

The young hunter named George insisted. The man was young, perhaps a few years younger than Joshua, thin, but compact, with wiry brown hair.

"Haven't you heard of tales about animals that can take on human form!?"

The older hunter snorted.

"Fairy tales, boy! I see old lady Agathe has been telling you youngsters way too many of them. Mister Joshua, what say you, seen any shape shifting wolves around?"

The older hunter suddenly asked in jest. A lump shot up Joshua's throat, making him gasp out of nervousness. His reaction caused the two hunters to frown at him. Joshua forced himself to calm down, shake his head and answer plainly.

"No."

The older hunter shrugged again, but the younger hunter looked at him carefully as if examining him. Could he have guessed why Joshua hesitated?

"Well, we better go now, a good day to you, Mister Joshua."

The old hunter bade and started walking around him. The young hunter stared at Joshua a while longer before following his older companion. As they passed, the young man shot him a suspicious stare.

Joshua watched them until they disappeared from sight, and then continued on the way back to the cottage at a faster pace.

It took him less than half the usual time before the clearing and the wooden cottage came into sight. This time, in his haste he did not knock before entering.

He should have, because his eyes were immediately glued to Yue's naked body as she stood in the middle of the cottage. She seemed to be doing something, as there was a pile of cloth at her feet, but his attention was not on those right now.

He had only briefly seen her nude during the time he found and carried her to the cottage. After that, she was always under or wrapped in blankets. Moreover, due of the urgently at the time, he had not looked at her body properly to appreciate her alluring form. Now that he was, he fell dead silent, because the wolf-girl was unspeakably beautiful.

Her body was thin and lithe, with smooth, gentle curves around her hips and chest. Her supple breasts were neither small nor voluptuous, but just right for her height and size. Her arms and legs are thin and sleek, as if carved from marble.

Her long, wheat colored hair fell over her shoulders like silk. A pair of thin strands fell down the sides of her temple, down her thin neck and ended just above her fine collarbones.

The pair of wolf ears and the bushy wolf tail that grew behind her waist were the same color as her hair, with the tips white in color. Between the three, it was without doubt that her tail was most worthy of praise and admiration.

Last of all was her young maiden-like face, with two amber eyes that were sharp enough to pierce through a person's soul, and thin red lips, raised slightly in a smirk to reveal one fang.

"My, my, someone should be ashamed of himself."

Yue scolded in a hostile tone, but wore a teasing expression. Unlike normal maidens, she was not shy to be seen naked. Her voice brought him back to reality.

"I-I'm sorry!"

Joshua stuttered and turned around, his heart beating frantically. Behind his back, he heard her chuckle.

"Humans are so silly. What need is there to be embarrassed about seeing a body naked?"

He heard her say, followed by the sound of cloth rustling. Was she pulling a blanket to cover herself? He thought to himself.

"Well, turn around, what do you think?"

Joshua did turn around, and was speechless. Not because she looked good in it, which she didn't, but because those were his old clothes. It was a single piece beige colored short sleeved gown that reached up to her knees, and had a string belt at the waist. As for where it came from, he glanced at the floor which hid his 'cache', and saw that the wooden floorboards had been removed.

"It barely fits me, and it itches."

Yue complained while scratching her backside

"Take it off."

He ordered softly but firmly. The last time Joshua wore it, he fitted him as it does for her now, and that was almost ten years ago when he was about her current height and size. Seeing it fit her as it did for him brought forth terrible memories.

Perhaps she noted the hardness in his voice and the uncompromised look in his eyes, for her ears drooped and her smile vanished.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious…"

Yue apologized as she started to pull it off.

Her sudden meekness surprised him. Normally she would sneer in defiance and retort, often leading to him conceding. But this time, she was complying like cattle. The only reason he could deduce why was because she knew he was dead serious.

Upon realizing that, Joshua felt terrible commanding her as such. Despite claiming to be over forty years old, right now Yue looked no different than a chastened young girl.

He realized that for some reason, a proud and arrogant personality suited her better. He then went to the bed, picked up a blanket and wrapped her naked form with it.

"These clothes isn't worthy for one as proud as yourself."

He said in consolation. Yue looked up at him uncertainly, and cocked her head when she realized that he was being honest.

"Why is that?"

She asked curiously, raising the gown to examine it. Joshua considered hiding the truth from her, but finally decided to come clean.

"These are the work clothes of a slave."

He admitted quietly, taking the gown from her hand.

Yue's expression of surprise was rather impressive, maybe it was because he had never seen someone look so surprised before. Her eyes were practically as round as coins.

A while later, her expression turned sympathetic, and she gazed at him with eyes capable of melting frozen hearts. She then leaned forward to rest her head on his chest.

"Is that why you are away from home, and was that what you were dreaming about this morning?"

She asked quietly. Damn, she was too sharp. Joshua nodded in silence in answer to both statements. Some time passed in silence.

"So…"

Yue looked up at him with a coy smile.

"Should we roast that rabbit?"

The bottom of the blanket wrapped around her swished loudly, caused by her tail. Joshua sighed as she gently backed away.

"Fine, let's."

After replacing the gown back in the hole in the ground and covering it with the floorboards, Joshua went to retrieve the rabbit carcass and sharpened a wooden stick to skewer it.

"Oi, oi, you're drooling."

Joshua pointed out as he seasoned the rabbit carcass that was spitted over the fireplace with salt and pepper.

Yue yelped in embarrassment and quickly wiped away the drool forming at the corners of her mouth. Her tail was swishing audibly like a broom on the bed.

"I usually eat them raw if I hunt. While I find raw meat quite palatable, cooked meat is still the best."

She stated with certainty.

He gave her a weird glance. Eating raw meat was very dangerous. But then she was half wolf after all, it shouldn't be a surprise that she can eat raw meat without falling ill.

"Why don't you cook them, then? Surely you know how."

There were so many ways to cook raw meat. Roast or smoke it over a fire, boil it in soup, salt and dry it into jerky, fry it in a pan. It could even be pickled in vinegar, though that was a costly method used to preserve the meat for long periods of time.

Her awkward silence made him turn to regard her.

"I don't know how to cook…"

She finally grumbled, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Surely you know how to roast over a fire?"

She scowled menacingly.

"I don't know how to light a fire!"

Joshua now raised both eyebrows in amusement. He didn't expect a forty something year old wolf-girl to have such a shortcoming.

"Well, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses."

He said offhandedly. In response, Yue smirked.

"Indeed, only a fool would dare claim to have no faults."

The two remained silent while the rabbit sizzled and cackled in its own oil. By the time it was ready, Yue's eyes were fixated on glowing red meat.

Her eyes then became fixated on Joshua when he picked up the skewered rabbit, transferred it onto a plate, and then picked up a knife, presumably to divide portions. So when he passed her the whole plate and knife, her expression turned incredulous, elated and doubtful, all at once.

"I'm going back to the village. You enjoy it."

Joshua quickly explained, but could not meet her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I promised to bring Daves some things for his daughter."

"Even though you aren't wanted there?"

She inquired with an inscrutable expression. Joshua couldn't help but wince. He thought about it for some time before answering.

"For now, maybe. But in time, maybe not. I have to try to fit in, right?"

He asked her as much as he was asking himself, but all she did was stare at him with utter calmness. Soon though, she exhaled with a smirk.

"Then I shall patiently wait for your return. When you do, we shall have wine with the rabbit, yes?"

At that point, Joshua didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was around late afternoon when Joshua exited the forest and Ponoka came to view. Everything looked fine, the pigs napped in their pens, the chickens pecked for worms on the ground, and the birds glided lazily in the sky. Sadly, all that proved to be a mere illusion as soon as he passed the first hovel.

Almost every man and woman was gathered at the clearing in the middle of the village, where the yearly harvest festival was held. This time it wasn't for a festival, but a meeting. Standing in the middle of the circle was a handful of hunters, among which were the pair that Joshua met on several occasions during the past two days.

"Lock your doors at night, and keep every window and shutter close. That wolf may or may not be a shapeshifter, but there's no harm in being cautious."

The villagers murmured their consensus. When someone among the crowd noticed Joshua, they murmured and pointed his way, causing the other fifty or so heads to turn towards him. There was a mixture of expressions. Surprise, displeasure, even suspicion.

"Ah, Mister Joshua, good timing!"

The head hunter greeted politely.

As well as the head hunter, the man was the village chief. Tarnum was his name, and he looked as tough as his name indicated. He was the first to accept Joshua as someone part of their community. In fact, it was because of him that Joshua could live in the abandoned hunter's cottage in the forest.

"What's he doing here? This is a community meeting."

One of them men grumbled, not at all quietly.

Joshua was stung by that statement, even more so when more than half of the adults gathered nodded in agreement. He noticed Tarnum smiling bitterly.

At that moment, a terrible wail washed through the crowd.

The bitter smile on Tarnum's face turned into a stern frown as he turned towards the source of the wail along with the rest of the village. Joshua followed their stare, which was directed straight at Daves's hovel.

Several seconds of silence passed before another wail emerged from the hovel, one that less shrill and more keen. Moments later, the front door opened and out walked Daves and his wife, who sobbed loudly. Carried between their arms was body of a child, their daughter.

Joshua's breath caught. There could only be one reason for Daves to be carrying his very ill daughter outside, and for his wife to be in such grief.

Tarnum strode forward from the middle of the crowd and went to stand before Daves, who stopped and looked up at the village chief in despair. The other villagers formed a semicircle behind Tarnum, with Joshua being left at the rear like an outcast.

The two men conversed in whispering tones, too quiet for Joshua to hear. At last, Tarnum turned towards him gravely.

"Mister Joshua… Come forward, please."

Over fifty pairs of eyes fell on Joshua. Some of them angry, others uncertain. And yet, a few looked hopeful, and one of them belonged to Daves. Feeling like a lamb being brought forward for slaughter, Joshua stepped forward. The villagers parted to form a path.

Joshua had seen many dead people before, be they men, women or children. Even so, seeing Daves's little girl lying lifelessly in her father's arms made his heartstrings twinge. When he stopped before Daves, the father raised the child cradled in his arms, as if presenting her for a blessing.

"Please… She's all I have…"

Daves whimpered, arms shaking, on the verge of breaking down.

Joshua took one look at the child and knew it was too late. Her chest was still and unmoving, her were eyes partially open but gazed nowhere, and her skin was pale blue. However, something about her struck him. Her hair was matted, soaked, and upon closer look he noticed that her skin was wet as well.

"Please tell me, you didn't wash her using cold water…"

Joshua whispered, trying to hold back the despair creeping into his voice.

The well was less than a few minutes' walk away from here. It was the village's main source of clean water, which the villagers used to draw water to cook, wash, and bathe.

Daves looked at him with round eyes and nodded, wondering how he knew. His wife then stepped forward and held her dead daughter tightly, at the same time glaring at Joshua through teary eyes as if telling him to stay away. Daves placed an arm on her shoulder in an attempt to placate her before continuing.

"After feeding her the berries and the soup with the herbs, she fell fast asleep. She was wet with sweat, and sticky, so Bella took her to the well and washed her. She did not even wake up to complain it was cold! But just a moment ago, she…"

Daves's voice trailed off as he looked away, unable to finish the sentence.

Within, Joshua groaned with despair. The herbs he had given them will have placed the little girl into a deep sleep, one that would not let her wake for several hours at least. Even if she was freezing old or boiling hot, she will not so much as stir.

He now realized that having her sleep so soundly was in fact a double edged sword. Because she was asleep, the child could not complain about being washed with cold water. In addition to being severely weakened due to the cold, her body temperature must have plunged due to exposure and due to contact with the freezing water.

The reason the child died was hypothermia, and the fault was Joshua's.

He should have stayed longer to watch over the child. He should have warned them about the herbs' effects. Joshua was about to open his mouth to confess when Daves's wife suddenly lunged at him with a terrible shriek.

"Murderer! Murderer!"

The woman cried hysterically as she attempted to scratch at his face.

"Belle! Calm down!"

Daves yelped as he struggled to hold both his deceased child and his raging wife. Tarnum quickly stepped forward to restrain the woman, looking equally shocked.

Despite feeling like his face had been slashed with hot knives, Joshua calmly stepped back. However, her outstretching arm managed to grab onto his right sleeve and held on like a vice, resulting in a short tug of war.

After several furious tugs, the sleeve ripped and she held onto the ragged piece of cloth, waving it at him like a curse as she screeched.

"Southern slave scum! He poisoned her!"

Those two statements struck him like whip lashes. Joshua hurriedly brought his other arm to cover his upper right shoulder.

"No! I didn't-!"

He insisted, but something round, jagged and hard slammed into his back. He turned towards the mob. They were enraged.

"Murderer!"

A man from the mob cried.

"Child killer!"

A woman added venomously. More and more voices started to join in, and several stones were thrown.

"Everyone! Calm down!"

Tarnum shouted, but his voice was drowned out as he tried futilely to placate the villagers. Finally, he stepped between Joshua and them, and at last the stoning ceased. However, the shouting did not.

"Kill the murderer!"

Someone spat.

"Stand aside, Tarnum! This is justice!"

Another insisted to the village chief.

Tarnum raised a hand and slowly the shouting died down. Yet every face was staring at Joshua with clear malice, like dogs on a thin leash. The village chief knew that this was a precarious situation. The crowd was eager for blood.

He slowly turned to face Joshua, that young olive-skinned man whose knowledge in healing was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Despite being the target of a mob that called for his head, Joshua did not look scared. In fact, he seemed resolute. Tarnum was not surprised.

A few days after Joshua settled into the abandoned cottage, Tarnum went to pay him a visit out of curiosity and out of concern over his people. Strangers don't often wander in seeking to settle down, and most that did were always suspected of being criminals, outcasts, and the like. It was his responsibility to make sure that his people were safe.

So when he left the cottage, Tarnum was convinced that Joshua was a decent sort. In fact, he even pitied the young man. Joshua had lived through more hardship in the last fifteen years than most have over their entire life. The least he deserved was a chance of living in peace.

Sadly, none of the other villagers thought the same.

And thus, even though Tarnum knew that the just thing to do was defend Joshua, his priority was his people.

"Mister Joshua, did you give Daves something to feed his child?"

He asked, like a judge who had already decided on a verdict and sentence.

Oh, how cruel the world is. Joshua almost laughed as he replied.

"Yes, I did."

Tarnum then turned to Daves and his wife. The woman was trembling with rage while her husband was rooted with shock. The woman returned Tarnum's gaze, there was no hint of mercy in them.

The village chief finally turned back to Joshua with forced calmness.

"Then you are guilty of poisoning Lily, daughter of Daves and Bella. The sentence of such a crime is… Death."

He proclaimed softly, and the mob roared in approval. The village chief and head hunter then stepped back, his lips mouthed the words 'forgive me'.

As soon as Tarnum stepped aside, the mob rushed forward to seize Joshua. They dragged and pushed him out of the village, roaring and jeering the whole time.

Along the way, someone bound his wrists and another looped a rope around his neck. The forest's tree line came into view, and Joshua realized that they were going to hang him.

When they reached the nearest tree, most of the mob stayed back and formed a thin semicircle around the tree while several strong men hauled him forward and forced him to kneel under the tree before throwing the remaining length of rope that was around his neck over a tall branch. The men then went to retrieve the rope and prepared themselves to hoist him up.

During the few seconds that all this transpired in, time slowed for Joshua.

He examined the faces of angry, spiteful villagers as they shouted and spat at him, yet none of them took another step forward. They wanted blood, but were too scared to come closer. Perhaps they feared him haunting them in death, perhaps they just don't want to be directly involved with this execution.

Standing at the front of the mob was Tarnum, his expression grave as if at a funeral. Joshua knew that the man did not want this, but for the sake of maintaining his authority, he had to.

Beside Tarnum stood the old hunter who had been polite to him before, now shouting obscenities. Finally, beside them stood the younger hunter, except this time the young man did not look spiteful. On the contrary, he looked rather lost and confused. Could the young man realize this farce of a justified execution?

And then those few seconds ended. The rope around his neck was yanked upwards, forcing him to stand on his feet. With one more pull, he will be hanging from the tree. Joshua closed his eyes, ready for his fate.

In the darkness of his mind, one face appeared.

And that was when it happened.

A bone chilling howl forcefully snapped his open.

It was the howl of a wolf, but it sounded ten times louder, as if it were standing right behind him. Joshua then noticed the looks of terror worn by every member of the mob before him. They were looking beyond him, as if an army of bandits was about to attack. It was so quiet that he briefly heard a gentle thud, followed by a snapping twig, behind him.

And then there was a scream, followed by a mighty rout. Every woman and nearly every man was sprinting back towards the village. The remnants, including Tarnum and hunters, stood their ground. Some of them carried bows, a few had daggers. Even so, their expressions were the same. Absolute terror.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Soft, padded footsteps approached Joshua from behind, accompanied by an overbearing aura. For once in a long time, Joshua felt fear. It crept up his spine like tiny little spiders, and seized his throat like invisible hands. When it finally stepped beside him, all he could do was gasp.

For beside him stood a massive brown wolf.

Even whilst standing upright, Joshua's head was only at the same height as the wolf's shoulder. It stood as tall as a bear standing upright and longer than the lengths of a horse from head to tail. If there was one word that could describe his feelings as he gazed upon the giant wolf, it would be awestruck.

The wolf's thick, magnificent fur coat shimmered like polished bronze. The sheer size of each sinewy limb was as thick as his torso, ending in broad paws with four toes, each of which were the size of uncut loaves of bread, and from which protruded dark scythe-like claws that resemble curved daggers.

Joshua found himself looking up to see the side of the wolf's wild, yet dignified face, the same way he used to look up at soldiers as a child. The wolf in turn turned to stare down at him.

Despite staring at the face of an animal said to be enemies of humans, his fear quickly dissipated. For behind those golden-yellow eyes and amber-red irises, he recognized her identity.

"Was I late in returning?"

He asked, smiling pathetically. In response, Yue's black lips curled over white her fangs.

"Extremely late."

She scolded in a voice so deep that it didn't sound quite like her, yet at the same time suit her in that form perfectly.

Upon hearing him speak to the giant wolf, one of the hunters cried.

"S-sorcerer! He's a sorcerer!"

The other hunters shuffled backwards where they stood. They had clearly heard the brief conversation between the olive skinned man and the giant wolf. Putting aside that the wolf can speak, the fact that the wolf didn't devour him was proof enough that the two were in league.

In tales of old, sorcerers were evil, demon-worshipping humans who can summon evil spirits and animals to do their bidding. Their kind had long since vanished, but their tales linger on.

"Kill the sorcerer!"

A hunter cried and shot an arrow towards Joshua. The arrow's aim was true and would have struck him, but Yue's wolf-head lunged in front of him to catch it between her jaws and crush it to splinters. She then growled deeply and advanced towards the hunters.

"Yue!"

He cried, suddenly fearful for the villagers.

"Run! Run away!"

One man cried, and the remaining men immediately bolted, some even discarding their weapons. Yue quickened her pace and chased after them. Concern for the men welled up Joshua's chest. They stood no chance against her. If she wanted, she could kill with just a swipe of her claws.

"Yue! Don't!"

Joshua cried again, but she ignored him.

He watched with horror as she swiped at the back of one of the hunters, sending him flying forward and slamming into the ground. Joshua recognized him as the young hunter who stood at the front of the mob, one of the few who were not drunk with blood lust.

The young hunter squirmed on the ground to turn over, only to come face to face with the giant wolf. He neither moved nor spoke, and remained stiff in fearful shock.

"Yue!"

Joshua shouted at the top of his lungs.

As for Yue, she stared intently at the young lad sprawled on his back before her. His expression was the epitome with terror, so great that she could even smell it in his sweat. But what she was focusing on wasn't him, but rather what he held. The bundle of clothes in his arms.

For some reason, George did not let go of the bundle of clothes he and his elder companion had found in the forest. Perhaps it was due to terror, or maybe he had some internal instinct of wanting to hold something close when he was afraid. Whatever the reason, he held the set of woman's clothes tight to his chest.

"Give that to me."

Yue said. By her standards, it was gentle, but to him it was an order.

Despite not willing his arms to, George lifted the bundle up and presented it to her. Even though he was struck with terror, he could not deny the majesty of the creature standing before him. Such is the greatness of one as magnificent as Yue.

Yue opened her jaw slightly, bit onto the bundle using her incisors and took it from the lad. She then turned and walked towards Joshua.

George would have remained where he was if Tarnum hadn't returned to grab his arm, yank him to his feet and drag him away. Even whilst running away, George couldn't help but stare at the rear of that giant wolf, and its thick brown tail with that white tip that swished from side to side.

Back at the base of the tree, Joshua sighed with relief as he watched the two remaining hunters flee to safety.

"You went to get your clothes?"

Yue's wolf eyes widened in surprise.

"You knew they had it, but didn't tell me?"

Joshua smiled guiltily, and honestly admitted.

"I imagined you becoming angry and storm the village to retrieve it if I did."

Her upper lips curled, revealing teeth as long as swords.

"I might become angry that you thought that."

She stated icily, before continuing to admit.

"Though, I might have actually done as you said."

Hearing that made Joshua sigh with relief.

"So… I assume you came to save me?"

Yue's massive head nodded.

"I was asleep, but that rabble made enough noise to wake me. I ran as soon as I realized what they were shouting about. Wait a minute, let me try to free you."

She said, dropped the bundle from her mouth and stepped behind him.

For a few seconds nothing happened, and then he felt something hard as iron and smooth as ivory being inserted in between his bound arms. He could imagine Yue positioning her paw to place a claw between his arms to slice through the rope. He gulped nervously.

"Please be careful."

"Maybe I should use my fangs instead?"

Yue teased. With one firm tug downwards, her sharp claws cut through the rope and freed Joshua. After saying that, she crouched downwards so that her belly touched the ground and her eyes were about the same height as him.

"Get on my back. They're mustering the courage to come back."

Joshua assumed that she meant the villagers. He hesitated.

"Hurry, otherwise I'll have to carry you in my mouth."

Yue demonstrated by opening her jaws to reveal two rows of long white teeth and a leathery red tongue that could look like some sort of mattress.

He frowned at the thought of resting in between her jaws and becoming soaked with saliva. He replied whilst approaching.

"No thanks, you might accidentally swallow me."

Yue's entire body trembled and a high pitched whining sound came from her. Joshua looked at her face and saw that her upper lips were curled, and her nose crunched. Was she angry? No, she was laughing?

When it finally stopped, she regarded him closely with wrinkled eyes. He also noted that her tail was wagging quite fast.

"My, you really are a witty man!"

She teased. Joshua ignored her and reached out to touch her fur. It was long and unexpectedly smooth, almost as smooth as her hair. It felt warm to the touch, and gave off the sense of a wise and benevolent being. If she claimed to be a God, he would have accepted it there and then.

"Don't worry, my fur isn't that weak. Go ahead and climb on."

Yue prompted. Encouraged, Joshua grabbed a handful of fur near her neck and found it surprisingly strong. He then reached over and grabbed another handful of fur before pulling himself up to sit behind her shoulders.

It was somewhat similar to sitting astride a horse, albeit one with no saddle or stirrups, and was at least three times wider. It was also unexpectedly comfortable due to the thick layer of fur padding, but under which he could feel strong muscles and huge shoulder bones. He noticed Yue open her jaw and carefully picked up the bundle of clothes on the ground.

"Hold on tight!"

She warned and hunched down slightly whilst raising her rear. It looked as if she was stretching. Before Joshua could do more than clamp his legs and grab her fur tightly, she lunged forward and started running so fast that he instinctively ducked down to press his face into her fur.

"It'll take a few minutes, so hold on until then."

She informed. Joshua prayed that he can last until then without falling off.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

By the time they finally arrived outside the cottage, Joshua's body gave up and he began to slide off Yue's back. If it weren't for her crouching down and turning her head around to catch him on her muzzle, he would have fallen eight feet before crashing onto the ground.

I'm out of shape. Joshua lamented as he thanked her and shook his limbs to promote blood circulation. Once he regained some feeling in them, he carefully got up and went towards the door. He then realized a problem and turned around to face the giant wolf.

"Umm, how are you going to get in?"

He asked worriedly. Even her head was too large to fit through the door.

Yue chuckled, said 'don't worry', and right before his eyes, transformed.

Her thick, long brown fur immediately shrank back into her skin. Her limbs, body and skull rapidly shrank and became more human-like. At the same time from standing on all fours, she lifted herself upright. In a matter of seconds, she reverted back to her human form, complete with the pair of ears and tail.

"See?"

"… Can you transform by will?"

Joshua asked curiously. This was now the third time he'd seen her naked, and since she always acts as though there wasn't a single problem with her being seen naked, Joshua forced himself not to become flustered and kept his gaze above her shoulders.

Yue smiled and pointed at the corner of her mouth, indicating the tiny drop of blood gathered there from a shallow split lip.

"The requirement is human blood. Luckily I'm half human, hmm?"

She must have bitten her lip hard enough to draw blood. Joshua couldn't help but feel a little guilty knowing that Yue had to hurt herself because of him.

"Though my form would probably be more magnificent if it came from a pure blooded human…"

Yue's voice trailed off as she stared at him deviously. Since he knew that she was merely teasing, he didn't feel an ounce of trepidation.

"Hurry and get inside, you'll catch a cold standing here."

He said monotonously and went to open the door.

Yue chuckled mirthfully and rushed into the warm cottage after him.

The first thing Joshua did when he got back was pack. From the floorboards where Yue had gotten his old slave outfit, he dug up the rest of the contents. That included an empty leather backpack, a spare tunic and a small pouch that jingled when he picked it up.

He quickly tied the pouch, his purse, onto his pants, and opened the backpack. It smelt rather musty, but on the plus side there were no holes and the seams were still strong. Joshua put it beside the bed and went to retrieve his other belongings.

"Are you going to leave this place?"

Yue inquired as she changed into her reclaimed clothing.

"The villagers think me a sorcerer. I expect them to burn down this cottage, and me to a stake, if I remain here."

Joshua explained glumly.

"Mmm, I can hear them planning to attack. They sound rather angry."

Yue confirmed. Joshua ignored that and stuffed two bags of dried meat into the backpack, followed by a bundle of salt-dried vegetables. The bag was already half full, and there were dozens of items left on the shelves. He grimaced at the thought of leaving much of it behind. Even so, he won't let sentimentality get in the way of logic. He turned towards the bed to pick up a few blankets.

"Ah…"

That was all he could utter when he noticed Yue in her clothes. She noticed him staring and turned towards him with a bright smile.

"Does it look good on me?"

She asked charmingly. Indeed it did. Her lower half was covered by a thick fur skirt that reached her ankles, under which were a pair of baggy trousers followed by leather hiking shoes. The skirt was held to her waist by a broad sash dyed crimson red.

Her upper body was clad in a long sleeved shirt, this one dyed with a high quality blue dye and perfectly tailored, from the seams of the sleeves to the small wooden buttons on her front.

Completing that outfit was an oak-brown cloak that reached her knees and fastened by a brooch. A loose white furred cap worn on her head just above her forehead effectively concealed her ears, as long as he did not stare too long at the two little points barely noticeable at the top of the cap.

"Hei, if it doesn't, just say so. I won't get upset."

Yue grumbled with discontent and looked away with a disappointed frown.

Joshua wanted to slap himself for being so slow. She must think that he thought negatively of her outfit. Although that said, he suspected that if he really did tell her it looked bad, she will definitely become upset. Thankfully, he had no reason or intention to do so.

"Sorry, I was bewitched."

He answered. When she turned back to face him in surprise, his heart skipped a beat. She looked charming when abashed.

"M-my… I'm so embarrassed…"

Yue looked down and murmured, covering her face with both hands.

Seeing her like that made him blush, even more so when she suddenly stepped forward and rested her head against his shoulder. When she finally looked up, Joshua wanted to slap himself again. She was wearing the triumphant grin of a hunter that had caught its prey.

"My, you are so adorable."

Yue teased, tail wagging happily behind her.

Joshua stiffened before slowly but firmly pushing her at arm's length, and mechanically resumed his earlier task of retrieving the blankets. Yue chuckled at his pathetic attempt at smoothing things over.

"So, where are you going to go from here?"

Joshua paused in the middle of folding the blankets. In truth, he hadn't thought that far yet, and it didn't take long to come up with an answer.

"I don't know."

Yue cocked her head to the side.

"Then… Is there anyone you know who can help?"

Once again, it didn't take long to decide on the answer.

"None, they're all dead."

Yue stared at him intently as he continued working in silence to fold the blankets and stuff them into the backpack. After that, he went to collect the cooking utensils. She finally asked.

"Then what are you going to do?"

After strapping the pan onto the bag and sheathing the knife under his belt, Joshua turned to face her with a blank expression.

"I… I don't know."

The two of them stared at each other in silence, before Joshua continued.

"I guess I'll go somewhere far from here, wander around doing odd jobs, and then move on. If I'm lucky, I might find somewhere to settle."

"Say, why don't you try going home?"

Yue suggested. Joshua smiled bitterly at her, and turned slightly to show the mark on his sleeveless right shoulder. He noticed Yue wince at the sight of the thick, bumpy scar of the snakelike letter branded into his flesh.

"This stands for slave, the brand that every slave gets before they are sold. I came to the north as a slave, and the only people that go to my home country are diplomats, soldiers and traders. Moreover, it takes four weeks by ship to get there. Surely you can see… I can't go home, can I?"

Yue's gaze remained defiant for a while before they fell to the floor. She then raised her head with a tight frown.

"Then… You'll be wandering around, like an outcast?"

Joshua smiled sadly in response.

"That's how I've been living for the past year, right?"

He suddenly realized that he had stopped packing, and went back to work. Yue remained silent for quite some time, as if deep in thought. She finally stated.

"I don't know how to cook."

Joshua turned to regard her oddly. Why the sudden change of topic?

"Or rather, I don't know how to light a fire to cook with."

She corrected herself. Where was she trying to go with this?

"I've also fallen ill a few times since my journey. Hangovers, colds, and just recently, fatigue! Do you know how miserable it is to wait out a sickness until you get better?"

Yue shook her head and sighed with exaggerated exasperation.

Nowadays, Joshua rarely fell ill or felt unwell because he always had herbs or medicine to treat himself with, but he nodded anyway. That was because when he was still a slave, whenever he became sick, not only did he not get time off to rest, he had to work whilst sick.

"But with you around, that won't be a problem."

Yue concluded as if stating an obvious fact. By now, he could tell where this was going. She was even glancing at him from time to time, like a child about to ask for an embarrassing request.

"So… Why don't you travel with me? That way, my belly will always be content and so will my physical constitution improve."

Honestly, Joshua didn't know whether to laugh or to cry due to the emotions that emerged from within. Truth be told he felt hollow knowing that they would soon part ways, so hearing that they could continue being together for a while longer came as a huge relief.

And since he would be ashamed to call himself a man if he wept like a boy, he opted to laugh instead. When done, he smiled at Yue, who smiled back at him.

"Very well, I'll travel with you."

The wolf-girl nodded firmly.

"Good! Now that we're a team, what's yours is mine as well, yes?"

She suddenly went into the offensive, and her amber eyes looked totally serious. Joshua nervously cleared his throat to buy time to think of a way to refuse.

"Well, technically no, but I'm willing to share what I've got-"

"Then I expect a fair share of those dried meats and wine. But most importantly, a fair share of that reasonably large sum of money."

She uttered those last five words pointedly while regarding his side where the money pouch was tied, hidden behind the hem of his shirt.

Was she a travelling companion or a bandit? Joshua wondered. He finally decided that she was a little of both when she snickered in a joking manner, and continued packing without replying.

Fifteen minutes later, he was ready. His backpack was full, and beside it was a smaller baggage made from one of the blankets wrapped into a sack. He lifted the sack and passed it to Yue.

"Here, you can carry this."

The wolf-girl stared at him incredulously.

"You expect a woman to carry your belongings? And call yourself a man?"

She demanded, albeit wearing a bemused grin.

"I won't mind leaving it behind, but it contains the wine you're so fond of."

Joshua stated. To be honest, within it were also various pouches containing the rarest herbs in his possessions, but they were rather light and thus weren't worth mentioning. Yue's expression quickly changed.

"Humph, fine, I guess it can't be helped."

Joshua smiled at her obviously fake begrudging tone. He lifted the backpack with one hand and started walking towards the door. After slinging the sack over her shoulder, Yue followed after him.

After exiting the cottage, Joshua placed the backpack down with a frown. It was rather heavy since he had gathered more possessions during the year he lived here. In addition, he had become out of shape. He decided that the second wineskin strapped onto the backpack had to go.

"Oh? Are we drinking that now?"

Yue asked as he unstrapped the wineskin.

"Yeah, it's too heavy to carry in addition to two water skins. Do you mind?"

Yue's grin only could be described as elated.

"Most certainly not!"

She then gasped with wide eyes, as if remembering something vital.

"Wait a minute!"

She said and dashed back into the house. Did she forget something? Joshua thought. When she returned, he chuckled. She was carrying the roasted rabbit on the wooden plate. They had forgotten all about it until now.

"Here. Meat goes well with wine, yes?"

Yue stated with a wide grin before taking a big bite of roasted rabbit straight from the skewer.

"Mmm, tasty, but it has gone cold."

Joshua smiled at her complaint and passed her the wineskin. She swapped the rabbit for the skin and drank from it whilst chewing. Joshua took smaller bites to savor the taste. It was tasty, and indeed too bad it wasn't warm. After a few mouthfuls, he passed the rest to Yue and took back the wineskin. He shook his head upon realizing half of it was gone.

"Oh, you also forgot this."

Yue commented and pulled something from behind her. It was his slave outfit, that long beige colored gown.

"I'm not taking it. I've decided to leave it behind."

Joshua admitted, but took it from her to regard it with a blank expression.

"On the day that I was no longer a slave, I was told to throw it into the fire. Perhaps I should have. I ended up carrying it around for ten years without wearing it."

Yue wanted to ask him why didn't throw it, but decided that was another question for another time. Instead, she mischievously suggested.

"Would you like to do that now?"

He considered her suggestion for a moment.

"I've got a better plan."

Joshua replied, and promptly poured some of the wine onto the gown.

Yue gasped as if stricken. Did she really just gasp over some spilled wine? He then handed her the wineskin which she snatched and cradled like a mother holding a child, and watched silently as he dug into a pocket for a piece of jagged flint stone and a piece of iron.

"What are you doing?"

Yue inquired as he knelt, placing the wine-stained gown onto the ground.

"Making a fire."

Joshua replied, positioned the iron over the flint's sharpened edge and struck down at an acute angle. Little sparks immediately shot forth and landed onto the gown before disappearing.

Yue harrumphed, confused and unimpressed.

"Just wait."

He replied and struck it again, and again, and again. Each time, more sparks landed on the gown and dissipated. Finally, on the fourth hit, a small spark remained onto the gown and bits of smoke formed. He heard Yue go 'ooh' in surprise.

Rather than turn to smile triumphantly, Joshua knelt forward and cupped the smoking spot to bunch up the gown and blow gently onto it. The smoke slowly intensified, and eventually a small puff of flame caught hold of the gown.

"Sparks land on the cloth, which catches fire, see?"

Joshua stated as he got up and picked up the burning gown.

"Pour a bit more over it, please?"

He lifted the burning attire towards her.

Yue did, and stumbled back with a yelp as the flames lapped up the wine she poured over it and intensified. By now she was sure he could feel the heat of the flames despite wearing mittens.

After casting a final gaze at the burning gown, Joshua walked into the cottage, stopped at the doorway, threw the burning cloth in, and then walked out to hoist the backpack. With his back towards the cottage, he faced Yue.

"Well then, shall we get going?"

The wolf-girl's ears flickered underneath her cap, and he thought he saw the back of her skirt swish slightly, obviously caused by her tail.

But it was her smile that caught his attention, a smile so bright and cheerful that it seemed ridiculous that she was almost thirty years his senior. That said girl then went to link her arm around his, and nodded.

And so, Joshua took one step forward, and Yue followed suit. One step after another, they walked into the forest, as thick black smoke began seeping out of the cottage to create a pillar of smoke in the sky.


	9. Epilogue Afterword

Epilogue

As the sun began to set, the populace of the church city of Ruvenheigen began to drift indoors. Market stalls, shops and trading firms began to close as the business day came to an end while the church and tavern doors began to open to welcome their evening patrons.

Among the many multi storey buildings, one particular building could be singled out. Beige colored walls, tall arches on the ground floor supporting a wide porch, under which was a large wooden front door flanked by glass-paned windows on either side. Through the windows, flickering candle lights could be seen and the sound of laughing merchants could be heard.

This building belonged to the Rowen Trading Guild, and this was one of their many branches spread across Trenni and Ploania. As merchants of the guild entered the premise one after another, they were greeted by loud roars from their peers and comrades within.

The ground floor consisted of a bar and a diner. Here, most of the guild members ate, drank and talked with others around round tables. Behind the bar stood a barrel chested man, who worked as a food and drink merchant as well as a bartender.

The second floor was similar to an inn, with single or double bedded rooms allocated to Rowen affiliated merchants at a discounted price. The third and fourth floors were offices and meeting rooms, all which were now empty.

This is, all except one particular room at the end of the corridor on the fourth floor. There was a nameplate on the door.

Mister Hans Lawrence.

Within the room, a tall man of great status within the guild sat behind a desk containing rolls of parchment, a small pot of ink with several quills in it, and several seal stamps.

It would be quite impossible to guess his exact age, which could range anywhere between thirty and fifty. He had the looks and physique of a healthy, youthful young man, yet had white streaks through his otherwise short silver blonde hair that ended in spiky bangs which parted on either side of his face, and several thin lines across his brow and the undersides of his gray eyes.

He was the branch manager of the Rowen Trading Guild in Ruvenheigen. Every merchant of the guild within the city walls were under his protection, along with their assets and possessions. It was a huge responsibility for one man, which might explain why he had those lines when merely five years ago they were nonexistent.

He suddenly paused, as if deep in thought. And then, about two seconds before gentle knocks would resound on the thick wooden door, he called out in a polite yet authoritative tone.

"Come in."

A few seconds passed before the door opened and a weary-looking merchant of the guild entered. There was dust on his dark trousers and black ink stains on his fingers. He sighed before speaking.

"Mister Hans, I'm sure I've told you before the danger of releasing the arrow without aiming."

He was referring to the tale where once a hunter of great skill and equally great arrogance once came to the aid of a shepherd and his sheep under attack by wolves, only to end up slaying more sheep than wolves with his arrows. Hans Lawrence chuckled at the recollection of that tale.

"I recognized your footsteps even as you ascended the stairs, Neil. So, what is the matter?"

He asked without looking up from the letter he was composing.

"The lookouts have not spotted her, Mister Hans. Should I organize a search party?"

Hans stopped writing and put down the quill before looking up at Neil. The man was in his thirties, with short cropped dark hair, and possessed a crafty face suitable for a city merchant. As well as friends and colleagues, Neil used to be his apprentice. After a brief pause, he replied.

"That won't be necessary, Neil. She will arrive soon enough."

The younger merchant frowned.

"But… She's four days late, what if something happened?"

The Rowen Trading Guild branch manager of Ruvenheigen slowly shook his head with a knowing smile.

"Knowing her, she's probably fooling around in some town."

Neil smiled diplomatically.

"That's not very polite to say about your aunt."

Hans chuckled lightly in response.

"Pardon, I meant no offense to Yue when I say that. It's just that she is too much like her mother."

Neil Landt, vice-manager of the Rowen Trading Guild branch of Ruvinheigen, blinked.

"Oh, like Miss Holo?"

In response, Hans nodded and resumed composing the letter.

"Exactly, too cunning and too adventurous by half."

Afterword

Firstly, thank you so much for reading this story.

Spice and Wolf has been a favorite of mine for quite a few years, and I've lost count how many times I've read the novels and watched the series!

Truth be told, this is the first proper fan fiction I've written and finished. Most of the time, I end up losing steam half way. But this time, regardless of the fantastic characters and intriguing plot, it was the rich background of the world and the realism of which religion, politics and economics works – which Hasekura Isuna wonderfully describes – that gave me inspiration to see this through.

Because I believe the novels ended the story really, really well, I was very reluctant to start a new tale involving Holo and Kraft Lawrence. Also, the prospect of writing a story involving Holo terrifies me, because I've never written a character with her personality.

Thus, I settled on a new tale, starring the lineage of the wisewolf i.e. her children (two of which are introduced so far, and there's also a descendant of another side-character in the epilogue!), and an olive skinned foreigner from the south.

I've got quite a lot of ideas and a rough plot of how this new story will go, but unfortunately it'll take time for ideas to translate into words. And by time, I mean weeks and months… Sorry about that.

That said, volume 2 is close to finished, and I hope to upload it within a couple of weeks or so.

Again, thank you very much for reading this, and till next time!

*I edited the relationship between Hans & Yue to become from siblings to aunt-nephew. This was after reading the recently fan-translated sequels written by Isuna Hasekura sensei, which so far revealed that Holo and Lawrence had one child! XD So in order to fit the canon story as much as possible (while leaving some room for gray areas) I decided to alter the Lawrence family tree to one that is more 'human-like' and also more pragmatic. Nothing else was altered other than that.


End file.
